Jails sanctions for those who violate probation or parole are no more effective than community-based sanctions, according to a study in the Journal of Criminal Justice.
Researchers examined more than 800 violations committed by a random sample of probationers and parolees under intensive supervision, to see how jail and community-based sanctions affect the total number of violations committed and the length of time between violations.
“Results consistently indicate that jail sanctions do not outperform community-based sanctions,” researchers wrote.
The study's results, the researchers argue, make it hard to justify the widespread use of incarceration as a punishment of probation and parole violations.
“The lack of significant differences between jail sanctions and community-based sanctions calls into question the use of jail as a means of punishing persons on community supervision,” the researchers wrote.
The full study is available for purchase HERE.